Guardian Angel
by alicenotinwonderland
Summary: Lily thinks she's being watched in the library by someone. Is it just her imagination? Or if she's really being watched, is he a friend or a foe?


Lily sighed and put her quill down. She'd known that sixth year wouldn't be a breeze after OWLs but she wished the teachers would give them a little less homework.

She yawned and rested her head on her arms. It was almost time for dinner. She could just doze off for a couple of minutes before she went down. She gazed lazily at the window in front of her. The light of the lamp hanging from the bookshelf behind her had turned the glass reflective and she couldn't see the dark grounds beyond. She wondered if it was snowing outside. It would be nice to play in the snow. She could build snowmen or have snowball fights until it grew dark. It was getting dark. Or was that just because her eyelids were drooping? It was nice and cosy in the library and her corner smelled like old books. She could see some of the books reflected in the window. She was too sleepy to focus enough to read their names.

Lily suddenly sat bolt upright. She'd just seen a shadow flit past in the reflection. She whirled around, her hand moving to her pocket, but no one was there. She listened intently for a few minutes but the library was quiet apart from the regular noises of pages rustling or quills scratching. She took several deep breaths to calm herself and steady her racing heartbeat. She had to admit that reading about muggleborns being attacked everyday had put her on edge. She knew she was safe at Hogwarts but it was better to be cautious. Gathering her things, she stood up and picked up her bag. "I'm being silly," she muttered to herself. "I was almost asleep; it was probably just a trick of the light."

But she could have sworn she heard soft footsteps following her out.

**X-X-X**

Lily cursed and threw her seventh ball of parchment into the wastebasket. She was just not making any progress with her Transfiguration homework that evening. It was getting late and the library would close in a couple of hours. She absolutely had to find the right information by then!

_"You could ask Potter," _suggested her voice of reason. _"He could help you in an instant."_

Granted, James Potter had been a lot nicer to her since they'd come back from the Christmas holidays. She didn't know what had brought about his sudden change of heart but he hadn't pestered her with proposals ever since. In fact, he'd been nothing but polite and they had shared a fair few conversations so far. Perhaps they could be friends.

Lily shook her head. Potter wasn't her concern now, this homework was. She got up to explore the shelves and see if she could find a more useful book. After ten minutes and no luck, she returned to her corner.

She gaped in surprise as she picked up the thick book that hadn't been sitting on top of her notes when she'd left. She could feel something hard in it. She opened it to find a stick of Droobles marking a particular page. As she read the text, a wide grin broke out on her face. The content was exactly what she'd been looking for! Excited, she picked up her quill again.

She paused suspiciously, just before she began writing. Who had put the book there and how had they known she needed it? They had to have been watching her for a while. The memory of the shadow from three days ago filled her mind and she stood up suddenly, feeling scared. She glanced around nervously as she gathered all her things with one hand, the other clenched firmly around her wand. She'd heard about what had happened to Amy Stiller and David Ackerly; they were both Muggleborns. They'd been attacked in an isolated part of the dungeons. The idea of someone spying on her while she studied was creepy.

She hurried up the aisle, unsure if the footsteps she heard were a product of her paranoia or real. As she made it to the end of the row of shelves, she stopped suddenly, her eyes on the book in her arms.

"Thanks," she whispered into the silence before rushing out.

**X-X-X**

There were many clues that led her to believe she was being watched. An unexplained shadow, a soft cough when she pulled out a particularly dusty book, a warm puff of air - as though someone had just exhaled - beside her hand when she was tugging a book out of the shelf...yes, Lily was sure someone was watching her.

Strangely, she wasn't afraid anymore – not like the other night when she'd practically run out. Whoever it was didn't seem to want to harm her. In fact, many times, she felt safer when she thought he - she'd decided it was a he - was around, especially when the Slytherins were the ones working at the only other nearby table. She liked her corner and didn't want to move because of them and she felt as though this person would protect her. Granted, she wasn't sure if he was real, but she just had a good feeling about him.

He was only there on weekdays, she'd noticed. She didn't think he was there on the weekends when her friends joined her in her corner of the library and the Marauders took the other table. She didn't feel his presence.

She shook her head and smiled slightly as she realised how silly she sounded. She must be cracking under the stress if she thought someone was being some sort of guardian angel. She was imagining things and drawing conclusions from what were probably completely unrelated events. She was going to end up as crazy as Potter if she kept this up.

_"Come on, Evans, live a little!"_

_"Potter, it's freezing out there. I'm _not_ lying in the snow," Lily protested as James pulled her out into the snow. Just a year ago, she'd have hexed him if he'd touched her, she mused along the way. She and James had been on reasonably civil terms even before Christmas but ever since the holidays, she had found herself increasingly open to the idea of actually being his friend. _

_"I can't believe you've never made a snow angel when you were a kid," James said, leading her to a nice empty patch of snow._

_"I didn't like the idea of getting cold and wet," Lily defended herself._

_"You love snowball fights and they're just as uncomfortable," James pointed out._

_"But you run around and throw snowballs then. It's not so bad when you're moving," Lily argued back._

_He rolled his eyes. "It'll be fun, trust me." He flopped down into the snow, pulling her down with him. She grimaced as her coat started getting damp and brushed the numbing snow off her face. "Just move your hands and legs like this," he instructed, waving his limbs about. _

_Lily grumbled but she complied and after a few moments, she had to admit it was kind of fun. More than the activity, watching the delighted, childish, innocent look on James' face made her happy._

_He scrambled to his feet a couple of minutes later and she got up too. They both studied the large hollow shapes they'd made in the snow. "There. That wasn't so bad was it?" He flashed her his crooked grin._

_She smiled back. "It wasn't _horrible_," she said. "I'm still freezing though," she added sternly. She surveyed her angel. "That's not too bad an angel is it? I think, with those large wings, she'd look sort of pretty if she had a face."_

_"Yeah, she sure does."_

_Lily looked up at the change in his tone to find James staring at her instead of the ground. She blushed. "It's cold, why don't we go inside?" she said hurriedly. She wasn't sure how she felt about the way he was looking at her._

He was crazy in a good way, Lily thought. He wasn't reckless anymore and he was right. It was good to enjoy life a little and have fun, even if it was by doing something silly. She chuckled to herself as she realised she'd just conceded that James Potter was right about something. She glanced at her watch and closed her books with a sigh. She'd barely got any work done with all her reminiscing. She'd just have to call it a day.

She packed up her things and picked up the scrap of parchment she'd been doodling on to throw it away when she spotted exactly what she'd scribbled on it in long, loopy script.

_James Potter_.

And there was a little heart beside it.

She crumpled up the parchment and dropped it in the bin hastily. But as she left quickly, she was sure she heard a soft chuckle – a very familiar chuckle. When she looked back, she thought she caught sight of a glint – the way lamp light reflected off a pair of glasses perhaps – but as usual, no one was there.

**X-X-X**

It was the evening of her birthday and Lily was scribbling furiously away at the lengthy essay she'd somehow managed to forget was due the next day. Her hand flew across the parchment, her writing getting untidy. She didn't care though; she had to get this done if she wanted to attend her own party.

SNAP!

Lily cursed aloud and clutched her hand, pulling out the shard of her snapped quill that had embedded itself in her finger. She stared in dismay at the broken feather. She didn't have a spare on her and she had to finish her essay. She got up to see if she could borrow one from someone else. She had just pushed her chair back when a new eagle feather quill with a scarlet bow tied around it landed on her table as though someone had dropped it there. She felt a presence brush past her – close enough for her to hear quick breathing and feel the slightest touch of warm fingers against her own – for the briefest moment. So someone _was _ there with her! "Wait!" she called out.

But she was too late, he was gone.

**X-X-X**

"Filth like you shouldn't be allowed here, Mudblood," spat Avery.

Lily had been immersed in her studies and had paid the Slytherins at the other table no heed until they'd come up to hers.

"What's the matter?" she asked them boldly, her hand going to her pocket just in case. "You lot finally realised you can't read and came over to bother me?"

A flash of red light lit the corner. Lily swore mentally. Avery and Mulciber had been in front of her but she hadn't noticed Macnair sneak up behind her. He held her wand now, grinning evilly at her.

"We were taking a break," Mulciber said, walking up to her. She refused to back away. She was trying to put on a brave face but she knew she was in danger. She wondered why she studied in such a secluded spot. Even if she screamed, they could have her writhing on the ground long before anyone figured out where she was. Her eyes darted around; she was barely listening to the Slytherins' insults. She had to find a way out. Mulciber and Avery were raising their wands. She was surrounded. She pursed her lips and stared defiantly at them. She tensed, ready to run at them in an attempt to surprise them enough to get away. She could always retrieve her wand later.

Just then, a thick book fell out of its spot on the shelf and whacked Mulciber over the head. He turned around with an "Ow!" of surprise only to have the book smack him in the face. More books started spilling out of the shelves, attacking the other two Slytherins.

Lily picked up her wand from where Macnair had dropped it as he tried to shield himself from the books. She grabbed her things and made a quick exit, relief sweeping over her the moment she stepped out into the brightly lit corridor and saw groups of students walking around. She was safe, she was okay.

She barely registered nodding to James Potter when he walked out of the Library, bag in hand, and greeted her with a quick "All right there, Evans?"

**X-X-X**

Lily stood quietly against the window, Disillusionment Charm in place. If someone was hanging around her in the library, invisible…well two could play at _that_ game.

She waited patiently until she heard light footsteps. The chair was moved back, seemingly of its own accord, a hand appeared in mid-air and placed a book on the table and she heard a soft sigh, audible only because of the silence. She leaned forward slightly, waiting for whoever it was to reveal themselves. There was a rustling and a boy seemed to materialise out of thin air as he pulled off an Invisibility Cloak.

Lily stared. "James Potter?" she demanded.

James jumped and looked around wildly, searching for the source of the noise. He looked extremely guilty when Lily removed the Disillusionment Charm and glared at him. "You've been stalking me all this time?" she asked. She wasn't sure why she felt angry. Hadn't she been fine with the prospect of someone watching over her in the library? Hadn't she been thankful to her guardian angel many times? Why did it bother her that it was James Potter?

"I – Lily I can explain," he said quickly.

She sat down opposite him. "This better be good," she warned. "Do you even realise how creepy this is?"

"I – That's not what I intended to – I'm sorry – I was just trying to look out for you," he stammered.

She raised an eyebrow. She wasn't truly angry, she realised. She felt somewhat betrayed that she'd believed he was her friend and he didn't have feelings for her anymore now that he'd stopped asking her out. And yet, she'd just found out that he'd been watching her like a stalker. Why would he do that if he wasn't trying to ask her out again? She'd much rather he did that openly than following her around invisibly!

He sighed, looking at the dangerous look on her face and slumped in his chair. "Why do you have to study in such a quiet corner?"

Lily was slightly thrown by his question but she gathered her wits quickly. "Because it's _quiet_. I don't need you spoiling this spot. It's hard enough to concentrate when you and your friends turn up at the other table on weekends."

"It also puts you at risk of being assaulted by the Slytherins as you experienced just a few days ago," he burst out. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the librarian wasn't around to reprimand him for talking loudly. He leaned in and looked her in the eye. "My dad took me and Sirius to work during the Christmas holidays. He's an Auror and he took us on one of his less dangerous missions. What we saw there…" He swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. Lily felt a shiver run down her spine. If something had scared James, then maybe, she should be afraid too. "They weren't much older than us, Lily," he said slowly. "There were two Muggleborns, just about our age, tied up in an old warehouse. If the Aurors hadn't got there on time, they –they wouldn't have made it out alive. There were six Death Eaters with them, torturing them just because of their parentage. Their screams – no one would have heard them. One of them – he woke up a week later." His gaze burned into hers. "I don't want something like that happening to you. Even Hogwarts isn't safe anymore."

He held up the book he'd brought. 'Advanced Defensive Spells' said the title. "I've been learning more spells and I've been sticking around here because you seem to like this spot too much to realise how dangerous it is. I don't want you to get hurt. I know I seem like a creep to you but trust me, all I wanted to do was keep you safe."

Lily stared at him for a long time. She remembered how safe she'd felt in his company even though she couldn't see him and all the little things he'd done for her. She realised he'd been the one who'd saved her from the Slytherins and recalled how he kept shooting glances at her when he worked with his friends during the weekend. He wasn't lying, she knew it. He was really just concerned about her.

She finally smiled at him and touched his hand. He looked up hopefully. "How about you study with me instead? We can sit somewhere closer to the other tables too, if you like."

He smiled widely and nodded. "Thank you," he said.

She shook her head. "Thank _you_. Shall we start with Potions then?"

He looked stricken. "We're _actually_ going to study?"

She laughed at his sad expression as he rummaged around for some parchment and ink in his bag. She forgave him for his uncanny way of protecting her. She knew that he wouldn't stop worrying if she forced him to leave her alone. He was her friend now, wasn't he? She'd likely do the same thing for him.

And if she was honest with herself, she liked having him as her guardian angel.

* * *

**Please do leave me a review! I hope it flowed well and the characters weren't OOC, especially at the end (it's been a while since I've written James/Lily) and the ending wasn't too abrupt. I'd love some feedback :)**

**This was written for Round 4 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition using the prompts "danger", "glasses" and "weekday". As Chaser 1, the genre I received was "mystery".**

**This is also for Round 1 of the House Cup competition, year 3 Gryffindor, using the prompts "relieved", "heartbeat" and "broken quill"**


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